Jim Commentucci/The Post-StandardVolunteer Donna Mahar helps sort more than 100,000 books in preparation for this weekend's used book sale at ShoppingTown Mall.

A few years ago, at a time when the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency was accepting tens of thousands of books to be recycled, I paid a visit to OCRRA. While I admired the spirit of the program, I also wrote several wistful columns about the crateloads of wonderful books in good condition that were being ground into fiber. I wondered if there wasn't a way to give readers a chance to go through those books before they were destroyed.

OCRAA's response was simple: That wasn't a practical option. Instead, the agency urged Central New Yorkers who wanted to keep their old books in circulation to donate their collections to used book sales.

I mention all of that because I am especially proud of an event - sponsored by The Post-Standard - that begins today: The sale of more than 100,000 used books at the old Bon-Ton store, at ShoppingTown Mall. This link will get you to the hours and the prices, but I'd urge you to stop by, for a simple reason:

We live in a time in which the simple joy of reading seems to be threatened, mainly by a deluge of electronic distractions. This sale is an effort to do exactly what OCRRA suggested, which is to keep as many great books as possible moving through the community. Believe me, if you're a reader, a simple walk through the aisles will bring you back to the way you felt as a child in the library.

I was out there yesterday. The volunteer organizers of the sale - who emphasized their appreciation for the help of Wegmans, the Syracuse City School District and the Everson Museum of Art - were still sorting through donations that included just about every kind of book imaginable. There were boxes of the Harry Potter books, and rows upon rows of cookbooks, and bestsellers by such writers as Dan Brown, and historical works by fine writers like David McCullough, and even some magnificent old books by Kipling, copies published in the 1890s ...

In other words, if you're a reader, it's a delight, and it's hard to believe you can walk out of the place without finding a book you love. The beneficiary - The Newspaper in Education program - is a great initiative that encourages everyday reading among children, which fits with the spirit of the whole literacy effort in Syracuse.